Syrian refugees mark five years of uprising in Germany

From the square, the crowd marched in columns to the nearby Russian embassy [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]

Berlin, Germany - Syrian flags fluttered against the grey afternoon sky as a steady line of protesters gathered under Brandenburg Gate in the German capital to mark the fifth anniversary of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's government.

About 500 Syrian activists and refugees gathered on Tuesday chanting: "Long live Syria and down with Assad."

Sitting on a fellow protester's shoulders, one man addressed the crowd in Arabic: "Five years later and the revolution lives inside us stronger than ever."

From the square, the crowd marched in columns to the nearby Russian embassy, chanting in unison against Assad and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Want to stop the refugee wave? Stop Assad and Putin in Syria," one banner read.

'Birthday of revolution'

A close ally of the Assad government, Russia expanded its role in the Syrian conflict when it began carrying out air strikes across the country five and a half months ago.

"This is the birthday of the Syrian revolution," Loay Alhamedi, a 22-year-old Syrian who came to Germany a year ago, told Al Jazeera.

A member of the Syrian Activists in Berlin network, Alhamedi said that "five years on and the Syrian people are still one".